Heart Health News

Could Facebook Assist Public Health Efforts to Track Obesity?

FRIDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- Analyzing Facebook users'
interests could help public health researchers predict, track and
map obesity rates in specific cities, towns and neighborhoods
across the United States, a new study says.

This type of information could be used to design targeted online
programs meant to reduce obesity rates in specific locations, the
researchers said.

They analyzed data about the interests of Facebook users
nationally and in New York City and compared that with data from a
national health survey and another survey conducted in New York
City.

Areas with higher percentages of people with interests linked to
a healthy, active lifestyle tend to have lower obesity rates, while
areas with greater percentages of people with TV-related interests
tend to have higher rates of obesity, according to the study, which
was published April 24 in the journal
PLoS ONE.

Among the specific findings were the following:

Nationally, the obesity rate was 12 percent lower in the
location with the highest percentage of Facebook users with
activity-related interests (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) than in the
location with the lowest percentage (Kansas City, in both Missouri
and Kansas).

The obesity rate was nearly 4 percent higher in the location
with the highest percentage of Facebook users with TV-related
interests (the Myrtle Beach/Conway/North Myrtle Beach area of South
Carolina) than in the location with the lowest percentage
(Eugene/Springfield, Oregon).

In New York City, the obesity rate was about 7 percent lower in
the neighborhood with the highest percentage of Facebook users with
activity-related interests (Coney Island, in Brooklyn) than the one
with the lowest percentage (southwest Queens).

The obesity rate in the New York City neighborhood with the
highest percentage of Facebook users with TV-related interests
(northeast Bronx) was 28 percent higher than in the neighborhood
with the lowest percentage (Greenpoint, in Brooklyn).

"Online social networks like Facebook represent a new high-value, low-cost data stream for looking at health at a population level," study co-leader John Brownstein, who runs the computational epidemiology group at Boston Children's Hospital's informatics program, said in a hospital news release.

"The tight correlation between Facebook users' interests and obesity data suggest that this kind of social-network analysis could help generate real-time estimates of obesity levels in an area, help target public health campaigns that would promote healthy behavior change and assess the success of those campaigns," he said.

Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.